1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for processing semiconductors used in a manufacturing process of semiconductor elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
As semiconductor circuits have rapidly more highly integrated and more highly densified, semiconductors have been manufactured in a clean room in which a higher degree of cleanliness of air is maintained.
The productivity of semiconductor elements in semiconductor manufacturing lines in clean rooms greatly depends upon the nature of control of circumference such as the maintenance of the degree of cleanliness of air. In particular, the manufacture of highly integrated semiconductor devices requires the improvement of the degree of cleanliness of air in clean rooms.
Typical semiconductor processing apparatuses installed in clean rooms, such as heat treating apparatuses, CVD apparatuses and etching apparatuses, contain a plurality of filter units. Each filter unit has an air intake port from which air is taken in the clean room, an air blowing port from which air is supplied to articles to be processed and an air outlet port from which air is discharged as it is.
In this process, air is separately taken in the clean room from the air intake port of each filter unit. This causes the problem that the amount of air more than required is used. Further, air is supplied from the air blowing port of each filter unit to the articles to be processed and is discharged in the clean room in a state in which air which has passed the region on the articles to be processed and contains dirt and/or poisonous gases. This lowers the degree of cleanliness of air in the clean room. This conventional apparatus, therefore, is encountered with the problem that the cleanliness of air in the clean room cannot be maintained.